Clockwork Princess (MY VERSION)
by romancelover12
Summary: Tessa is engaged to Jem... but does her heart really stay on him, or does it belong to a certain boy with back hair and blue eyes? Tessa has to finally chose between the boy that she doesn't want to hurt and the boy that she wants. In the meantime, Mortmain is trying to get her with his ferocious automaton creatures. PLEASE NO JESSA HATERS!
1. Just the Beginning

**Disclaimer: I don't own THE INFERNAL DEVICES(or any of its characters) :(**

Tessa lay on her soft bed at the Institute and sighed. Why was life so difficult? She couldn't deny that she loved James, but a deep, dark part of her longed for Will…

Suddenly, she heard a deep, resounding knock on the door.

"Tessa. Tessa. I know you are in there… Please come out. I really need to talk to you," Will's sweet voice resounded. Over the past few days since Jem and her had announced their engagement, he had always had tried to catch her eye or talk to her.

Tessa didn't respond. She didn't want to talk to him.

"Give her a break, Will," Sighed the soft voice of Jem, her fiancée.

Will huffed under his breath and stomped away.

"Tessa… may I come in?" Jem kindly inquired.

Tessa stood up and opened the door, her curly, chocolate hair swirling around her face. The instant she opened the door, Jem swept Tessa up in a frenzied kiss. Tessa didn't expect this, but she happily played along. Their regular mouth-to-mouth kiss transformed into a passionate French kiss that ended with a series of kisses starting at Tessa's neck to shoulder. Finally, they stopped.

"Dreadfully sorry, Tessa…. But I couldn't control myself." Jem breathlessly said as he drew Tessa in for another kiss. As they were just about to lock lips, again, Tessa spotted a bit of blue in the corner of her eye; She turned and saw Will watching them through the crack of the door.

Tessa screamed an unladylike word.

"What is the matter, Tessa? " Jem said, hurt, because he thought she didn't approve of his kissing skills.

"Will is watching us through the doorway!" Tessa screeched, still in a very upset mood.

"It took you guys that long to figure it out?" Will smirked as he leaned at the door.

"What are you doing here, Will?" Jem confusedly inquired. Tessa looked as if she would slug Will in the face. This was actually a time when Gabriel's fighting lessons would come in handy.

Suddenly, Will's eyes flicked to hers and the memory of the furious, fiery kiss in the drawing room came back to her and she flinched. Why the hell did Will make her fell that way? In front of her fiancée, too!

Tessa knew that she couldn't stand being in the same room as Will, so she ran. She pushed past Will and Jem, almost toppling them over into each other. A she ran, her cotton nightdress billowed behind her like a veil.

Tessa raced out one of the numerous doors into a passageway. She had to go outside… she needed some fresh air. This stuffy darkness was just about killing her. Finally, she found a balcony-steep with stone arches and various curls.

She stepped outside and let the cold air envelope her in an eerie refreshing light. She had to wash off all of her feelings of Will, or else she'd breaking Will and Jem apart…. She had to make Jem happy….

Suddenly she saw a flash of metal. Mortmain's automatons. Her heart beat faster as she realized that she was all alone in a part of the institution that she had never seen before. Soon a huge looming shape appeared out from a pillar on her right. It was about 7 feet tall and had the stature of a shadowhunter. Like anybody in her situation… she screamed.

Suddenly, she heard 2 pairs of footsteps from inside. One pair was heavy against the stone floor, but the other was light and airy like a bird. Tessa had no doubt to whom they belonged to. But they might have been too late.

"Come to the Hyde Park at midnight tomorrow. Alone. If you don't come, then HE will hurt your friends. One by one." The automaton screeched.

Suddenly, the doors swung open and the 2 boys leaped out. Each one was wielding a glowing blade. They quickly slashed and hacked at the huge monster and slowly defeated it. Compared to the other clockwork creatures, this one was different. This clockwork creäture was faster, more agile, and stronger than the other. The only visible defect about it was its horrible voice.

After the boys defeated the creäture, they each had their own display of cuts and bruises. The nastiest was the long angular cut on Will's forearm. Fortunately, Jem brought along his steele and quickly drew a healing rune on Will's shoulder. The cut faded away to just leave a little pink mark that would fade to nothing in the next hour or two.

"Great exercise régime!" Will joked.

Jem stifled a tiny yawn and said, 'I had better be going to bed… See you in the morning, Will. Tessa…. Try not to go outside before tomorrow. I don't want to lose my future wife before she actually becomes my wife!" Jem glanced lovingly at Tessa and gave her a brief kiss on her lips. Then, he went back inside, to his room.

Meanwhile, Will and Tessa were still out on the balcony.

"Wait… Tessa, I would like to talk to you." Will stammered as he moved closer.

"What, Will" Tessa said, her voice sounding cold and hostile.

" I meant what I said that one night in the drawing-room. I love you, Tess. If only you loved me in return." Will murmured. For some odd reason, Will started stepping towards Tessa. One foot away, 10 inches away getting closer and closer…. Until they touched.

Will passionately clasped the back of Tessa's head showing lust and want. His lips were locked to Tessa's as if with superglue. The two were inseparable. Tessa wanted him. She wanted him so bad that she felt like she'd break without him. She wanted him so much that she said the magic three words: "I love you"


	2. Tessa's Betrayal

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Infernal Devices or any of its characters!**

The night after she had said those three words came in a flurry and she couldn't think. How could she admit to Will that she loved him when she was engaged to Jem! Was she crooked in the heart or something?

So, for a while, Tessa just sat there in her bastille nightgown, fingering the intricate lace and silk. She couldn't grasp a proper idea of what to do…. Who to tell that she had to break it off with them.

Suddenly, beautiful, haunting music filled the air and pulled Tessa in. The violin music flowed all around her and she felt safe and held. She relaxed in the light energy that was around her for a minute before she stood up to go see Jem.

"Jem… can I come in?" Tessa asked after she knocked on his door 3 times.

Suddenly, a pale face with two pale blue eyes popped out from behind the door she was standing in front of.

"Jem…. You scared me!" Tessa teased.

"I would do anything for my fiancée! I love her!" Jem murmured.

In moments like this when Tessa knew that someone loved her and knew that he'd risk his own life to save her, she knew that she couldn't stay away. Jem and Tessa were like salt and pepper… they worked perfectly together.

"Jem… I heard your beautiful violin playing when I was in bed… I want to hear more of it…" Tessa trailed off. Jem returned her speech with a gentle smile. Soon, he started to play. He played not the same song that he had played before, but a deep rich melody that was complimented with the brief airy resonance of the harmony. It was perfect.

The melody that he played was just like them. It was Tessa's richness and beauty, surrounding Jem's delicateness and frailness. After he was done, Tessa was in a wreck. She was crying, laughing, and smiling at the same time.

"Are you OK Tessa…? I mean, I composed that piece for you and if you don't like it…. I mean you don't have to, but…." Jem started to trail off.

"No, Jem. I love you and this piece was beautiful… just like you." Tessa sighed with happiness.

Soon the two were caught up in embraces and kisses. They were so caught up in what they were doing that they didn't notice that in a secluded dark corner of the room, Will was watching them.

Will felt betrayed. Why did Tessa say that she loved him… and then she told James that she loved him? Why did Tessa always get in the way? Life before Tessa was simple: make fun of girls, get drunk, and PARTY! But with Tessa around, his knees felt weak… almost like she was the yin-fen that Jem had to take to stay alive. Tessa was like an addictive poison. Once you got near her there was no backing out.

Will could see why Jem and himself liked Tessa so much. Her charismatic attitude, her snide remarks, and her quiet intelligence sparked a sort of light in him that he hadn't had ever in his life. Will turned away from the scene when Jem started kissing Tessa's shoulders. Why did Jem have to take everything from him?

The dark side of Will wanted to take Tessa away from Jem and keep her to himself. His mid flooded with images of him holding Tessa, her kissing him on his lips, her holding his hand on the beach, him laying down with her on the grass. Tessa was his whole world… but he couldn't have her. Tessa was Jem's and Jem's alone. Will couldn't hurt Jem in any way. Besides, Jem was dying and might be dead in the next year!

"Jem deserves to be happy," the nice side of Will said.

"I deserve to be happy too." The evil side of Will said.

Soon Will's two sides were fighting. Fortunately, Will's compassion and kindness won out and he decided that Tessa was off limits… but he couldn't restrain himself. He wanted Tessa. And Tessa only.

Tessa kissed Jem furiously. She loved him like hell and she didn't want to lose him.

"Tessa… I'm going to die soon…. Remember that when I die…. I love you… Even if I die without you…. I always and totally always love you." Jem softly said as he caressed her face gently. Tessa felt the words seep in and they stung like a million tiny knives.

"No, Jem. We are going to find a cure for you…. No matter how much it takes." Tessa stammered, almost broken. Jem just smiled sadly at her, his eyes shining with unshed tears.

"Right…" Jem muttered. They were leaning towards each other when they heard a ferocious bang from outside and the bolted door swung open.


	3. Captured

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Infernal Devices or any of its characters!**

When the door barged open they only saw a lone black figure framed in golden beams of light. Angelic and demonic at the same time. Ready to take what he wanted.

"Mortmain." Jem seethed.

"Yes… how very intelligent of you James Carstairs. It is I, the Clockwork Prince. Ready to take what is really mine." Mortmain boomed out, his loud commander's voice ricocheting along the walls of the room.

"Never." Exclaimed Jem, shocked, but not weakened. Will was watching this whole episode with interest and detest. Will frankly hated Mortmain with all of the hate that would ever be found in his heart.

"Ohhh… that's how it is? How does it feel, James to love a girl who has split her heart in half. How does it feel to love a girl who partially loves your parabatai," Mortmain taunted, "You know, Will, I can see you behind that. "

Will strode out of his hiding spot and he could feel Tessa's glare burn a hole through him.

"So… Mortmain. What are you going to take, huh? Are you going to take me for my pretty face and sweep me out of this room like Cinderella? Huh? Because you sure aren't taking anything else." Will teased. Taking this as a signal, Jem stood right in front of Tessa in a protective stance, and a couple of seconds afterwards, Will did, too.

"What do you want, Mortmain?" Jem spat, already knowing the answer.

"Tessa… Tessa… My creation. If you don't surrender Tessa to me in a minute, I will set my clockwork army on you." Mortmain threatened. Tessa quickly glanced around the room and saw no signs of any clockwork army. In fact, it had almost seemed like he was bluffing. Will seemed to follow on the same train of thought.

"Yeah right, Mortmain… there is no signs of any clockwork thing around here at all…. Are you lying?" Will sniggered. Mortmain just smiled his sly grin and snapped his fingers. When he snapped his fingers, a huge creaking sound was heard throughout the institution and a huge head smashed through the window. The figure looked just like the clockwork creature that they had fought earlier in the day, but this one was bigger and worse. Nobody said a word.

"Is that it?" Jem softly said, trying and failing not to be scared.

"Of course not, dear child. To have an army you have to have more than one… you have to have millions." Mortmain cried out. Suddenly, the head disappeared from the wall, revealing rows and rows of automatons standing erect in line. Not a toe out of line. Some were short and some were tall, but they each had one thing in common, they were ready to serve The Majestor.

"So what is it, boys? Fight and die, or give up Tessa." Mortmain inquired.

"Of course we are going to fight, we won't give up Tessa. Not now, not ever. We will fight even if it means losing." Will said strongly. When Jem nodded in assent, Mortmain sneered and cackled.

"If you Shadowhunters aren't going to give Tessa to me by good will, I shall take her by force." Mortmain shouted.

After those frightening words were uttered, Tessa felt a soaring sensation and her heart dropped into her stomach. A scratchy, uncomfortable force was being applied to her midsection and she realized that one of the automatons had her in its grip. As she cried out in fear, the hand just gripped her tighter and tighter. She briefly heard someone call out her name. It sounded so far away, that she couldn't recognize who it was. Then, she disappeared under the waves of exhaustion and fainted.

When Tessa woke up, she wasn't in the bright, cheery Institution, but in a dark dismal room. The stone walls were covered in shadows and the room reeked of rotting meat. Tessa delicately twitched her nose and held it. The scent constantly grew stronger, and her weary eyes searched for where it was coming from. Soon, she tracked down the culprit. The scent was coming from a dripping wet clockwork guard outside the door.

"Where am I, please let me out!" Tessa's words blended frantically as she tried to plead. Unfortunately, the guard didn't respond to her pleads like she wanted it to.

"Ah. You are awake," The guard's voice was edged with the horrible clanking of the mechanical teeth made Tessa's body shudder in distaste, "I shall bring you to the Majestor now. He has been expecting you."

"No… Please… Let me free…" Tessa pleaded, getting more frantic every second. As the guard unlatched the heavy cell door, Tessa quickly formulated a plan. When the door was unlatched, she would attempt to make a run for it. She couldn't be captured like this… Mortmain wouldn't stop her… ever. As the door was slowly sliding open, Tessa stepped one foot back, ready to lunge forwards. As she bolted forwards, she was immediately stopped in her tracks.


	4. Finding Out

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Infernal Devices or any of the characters!**

A huge, unfriendly automaton's arm was holding her back. The metal and steel plating that made up its arm was heavy and was like a wall, keeping her away from blissful freedom. Tessa wanted to knock it down and escape, but she wasn't strong enough.

"Don't try that futile trick on me again, or then you will receive harsh consequences. I won't let you off this easily next time." The creature blatantly threatened. A menacing, almost humanlike, look came into its eyes and the pupils dilated, revealing only the whites.

"Come with me. No more silly funny business." The creature swiftly led Tessa away, keeping a clenched hand on her upper arm, preventing her from escaping. After approximately 2 sets of stairs, Tessa was getting quite uncomfortable.

"Can you please release me? I can walk by myself. No assistance needed!" Tessa defiantly shouted. She was sick and tired of the Majestor treating her like a stray dog that would run away if you let it go.

The automaton turned towards her and looked like it was going to say something in reply to her snide remarks, but swiftly closed its mouth when they arrived to a heavy oaken door. The door seemed to be extremely intricate and the beautiful gilded gold oaken design carved in it accentuated the grainy wood.

The machine sharply knocked three times and the door swung open. On the other side was a beautiful desk and table. Almost like Charlotte Branwell's desk at the Institution. There was one empty chair opposite of the desk and the seat of the desk was occupied.

"Sit, please, my dear," the Majestor intoned, motioning to the vacated chair opposite of him, "We have some unfinished business to take care of." At this cue, the servant left the room and tightly shut the door with a bolt. Tessa wanted to cry out for it not to go. Even though that the creature was no more than metal, she didn't want to be left alone in the room with just the Majestor.

When she was with Mortmain, her blood ran ice cold and she involuntarily stiffened. Mortmain always put her on her guard, and she could never feel relaxed around him. He ruined her entire life and drew in all of the people who she loved into a whirlwind of hate.

"Well, well… My dear Tessa… I hope you are enjoying your rooms…" Mortmain sweetly cackled. Tessa scowled and a definite cloud hovered over her features and darkened them.

"Where am I? Where are Jem and Will?" Tessa shrieked.

"All in good time, my dear… All in good time." Mortmain started to trail off and leave his words uncompleted and Tessa's curiosity unfed.

"Why aren't you telling me anything? Please… if you refuse to tell me anything concerning my whereabouts or the Institution, please tell me why are you holding me. The real reason. Please tell me why you even want me in the first place." Tessa pleaded with him as her curiosity won out. She had to know. She couldn't live her life a lie… she couldn't live her life locked in that deceitful, horrible, smelly dungeon without knowing why.

"So the girl is curious… but shall I tell her or not." Mortmain's words teased her. He was trying to make her get dreadfully upset and blow up on him… He was trying to use her.

But little did Mortmain know, but two could play this game. Tessa was not going to lose to Mortmain. Not now… not ever.

"Please, oh, please… Tell me…" Tessa faked. On the exterior of her body, she wore a pained expression and her eyes were bright and shining with tears. Her face glistened with the pleading hope that only those who were desperate bore. On the inside, it was a whole different story.

Tessa was truly and genuinely angry. She was like a bubbling pool of lava that never ceased to bubble and threatened to spill over. She was upset at everything. First off, Mortmain had ruined her future plans with Jem by stealing her away from her dear fiancée. Next, his infernal, pathetic metal devices may have injured or fatally killed Jem or Will. And now he was hiding her own life secrets from her. Who did he think he was!

"Are you okay, my dear? You have been blankly sitting there for approximately 5 minutes. Doing nothing other than staring out into space. No doubt you were trying to figure out the secret for yourself. Am I correct my dear?" Mortmain slyly inquired, practically knowing what the answer was going to be. Tessa forced an unhappy frown upon her face as she solemnly nodded her head in agreement. But, really, she was doing a victory dance. If Mortmain wasn't intelligent to connect two and two together, than she might actually get a chance to escape to freedom.

"Fine, if you want to really know the answers to your inadequate questions, then you may as well make yourself comfortable. Your past is a long tale and it connects to why I need you. You are an essential device to my scheme and you are the only one of your kind around…" Mortmain slowly started. As Mortmain talked, Tessa paid close attention to her surroundings as well as to listen to Mortmain ramble on.

"As you may already know, your mother was a Shadowhunter and your father was a demon…" Mortmain softly intoned, as if he had been repeating this conversation many times.

As this was going on, Tessa discreetly scanned the room for an escape route. Unfortunately, the doors were all barred and the windows were all secured with heavy steel bolts much like the steel that made up the prison bars. From earlier experience, Tessa knew that these were unbreakable. Finally, Tessa realized the one dreadfully scary thing that she had been terrified of the moment that she had been hopefully looking for an exit to the room.

The room was authentically escape proof.


	5. Escape?

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of Cassandra Clare's characters:(**

Now how was she going to get out? With everything barricaded, with all of those automaton guards… there was no way…

Then, Tessa saw it; there was a tiny air vent above Mortmain's desk that was JUST tiny enough for her to slip in. Perfect. The only flaw to her plan was that she needed Mortmain out of the room. But how was she going to accomplish that?

Maybe… then she came up with the perfect scheme as her eyes locked upon the goblet that rested on Mortmain's desk that was filled with amber colored liquid. After hearing Mortmain banter for a bit more about the concepts and such, she just toned him out and started carrying out her plan.

"Oh… I feel so ill…" Tessa attempted to make her voice sound as pitiful as she could. She never took acting lessons when she resided in New York, but she was pretty good at it.

In result of Tessa's little "sick bout", Mortmain had come right in front of the wine glass. Kneeling in front of Tessa in a protective stance, like he would cure her instantly with his annoying speeches and dreadful attitudes.

As Mortmain was looking into her eyes for the distinct cloudy look that had always covered the eyes of the ill, Tessa nudged her slipper-clad foot into the table. Since the wineglass was already precariously balanced on the edge of the desk, all it needed was a simple nudge and down it went… all over Mortmain's silk and wool blazer.

"Arrgh! What in the devil is this? I must change." Mortmain sounded furious, probably thinking that his expensive clothes were utterly ruined for life by some orangey-brown mixture.

Tessa didn't say anything to his angry questions for fear of adding fuel to his already blazing fire.

"These clothes were imported from Switzerland… I must have knocked into the table on my inspection… I shall change…" Mortmain's anger turned into frenzied mutterings as he quickly straightened up and headed for the door. Just as Mortmain was about to walk out of the room, he stopped in his tracks and turned around.

"Ah. In all of my haste to change, I have forgotten about you. Please forgive me, my betrothed." Mortmain exaggerated the word 'betrothed', so that Tessa couldn't miss it. At that, Tessa gave an involuntary shudder. What would Mortmain do to her? She couldn't be married to HIM. She was already engaged to Jem. Good, kind, sweet Jem. Suddenly she remembered something that she had forgotten while executing her plan.

"Wait… Mortmain. What about Jem and Will?" Mortmain looked, if possible, even angrier and upset than before.

"I told you. I'll tell you later! Now, I shall leave you alone in this room while I change. You had better not try any funny business, because you KNOW that I'd catch you and find you wherever you are." With that menacing statement, Mortmain whisked himself out of the room, leaving the only sound of the echoing door behind him.

Once sure that Mortmain was gone, Tessa stood up out of her chair and shook her hair out of her face. Then, she went right to the air vent. She reached as high up with her hands as she could, but it was too high up. If she had a chair or something to stand on, then she could get to it, but to her avail, when she was attempting to push a chair, she found that they were nailed to the ground. In fact, everything in the office was either nailed to the ground or pasted to the walls.

Oh drat. Now how was she going to get to the air vent? There had to be a way, but then, it all looked as hopeless as getting a rock to fly. Suddenly, as she collapsed on the chair, again, she got another plan. This one, she believed, would authentically work.

Since everything was stuck to the ground, if she jumped, than there would be no chance of anything sliding, so she wouldn't break her neck or anything. If everything weren't stuck to the ground, then she wouldn't be able to use this plan, because as soon as she'd jump, the object that she'd be standing on would move. Tessa quickly calculated the distances in her brain, but as she wasn't good with math or trajectory, she had to make an estimate.

If she jumped from the desk to the bookshelf to the air vent, then she would be able to make it. This plan had to work… it was her only chance of escape. Tessa took a deep breath inwards and thought of Will and Jem once more as she climbed on top of the chair. The chair was rather smaller once she had climbed onto it and her shoes kept on slipping, because of the velvet rubbing on the silk. Not quite a good idea.

Tessa decided to kick off her slippers to increase the feeble friction. As soon as the shoes touched the floor, she had found it eons easier to grip onto the chair with her toes.

Tessa braced herself then made a "jump for it", leaping off of the chair onto the desk, sliding a bit on the shiny wood. The edge of the desk was unnaturally sharp, so she could feel cuts forming on her feet. Perhaps it wasn't such a great idea to ditch her shoes.

Tessa braced herself once more as she jumped from the desk to the bookshelf. This jump was lengthier, so she had to add more force. Unfortunately, she had forgotten to account the ceiling in this one, and as she jumped she hit her head on the ceiling and felt dizzy. Almost so dizzy as to let go of her handhold.

She was clutching the bookshelf by a hand and as she shimmied up, she didn't know if the shelf could withstand more weight. But, as she was remembering this, she remembered that this was her only escape way. As she was nearly at the top of the shelf, she felt her foot touch something soft and leathery. As she looked down, she realized that it was a small blue book with lots of little runes on it. The runes didn't seem like Shadow Hunter runes like the ones that they cut on with the steele. These runes seemed curlier, more in-depth, and more different.

As Tessa was examining it, she realized that she didn't have much more time. At any second, Mortmain may come in the room with a new change of clothes and order her down from the bookshelf.

So, Tessa continued up the last shelf of the bookshelf with the book clutched in her left arm. It was secure there, as every book that she had held was. Tessa never let a book get hurt, no matter what the circumstances were. Suddenly, she heard footsteps resonate down the hall. She knew that the time she had left was scares. Only one more jump. She didn't care about trajectory, angle, or surface as she jumped. This jump was blind, but with extreme accuracy. She made it to the opening, and she crawled in, the cobwebs and spiders enveloping her in the lace-like embrace.

Just in time, because right at that second, the door opened.


End file.
